Tabitha went to great lengths to be like Daddy today.
She searched high and low for her normally ignored blue jeans.
She begged her brother to use a shirt and then lobbied for a tie.
She stole his belt.
And she presented herself to us all at 7:15 in the morning.

Then she talked her sister into dancing with her, “Like Mommy and Daddy.”

Because Mommy and Daddy do so much dancing???

By 7:40 she had changed into her normal attire.  She decided the shirt was disgusting because Nigel wore it to church on Sunday.  Glad I hurried with the camera!

I celebrated my birthday a second time with my family, my mom, my sister, and my mother- and father-in-law on Saturday night.  Pizza and wings.  *slurp*  I’m just like the kids! 
I ate 10 chicken wings!  Should a 40 year old do that??!

John made the cake.  Correctly.  [Last year’s cake was not so well executed.]  This was the kind of cake that calls your name from across town!  Chocolate cinnamon-mayonnaise cake with homemade chocolate butter crème frosting. 

I’ll forgive him for putting “41” on the cake first. 
Remember my 37th birthday? 
He has a habit of making me as old as he is!

I LOVE these trying-to-get-a-photo photos!

Nothing profound about reaching a milestone.  Just some photos from my day.

Early morning presents before John went to work.  Some hot chocolate and a lid for my Pampered Chef frying pan I bought in April
[We got a new camera two months ago… that was a big purchase!]

[Some would argue I should have gotten a new couch… check out the tape holding it together.]

Some puff pastries for breakfast.

Then Nan came at lunch time with subs and stayed to play cards with Tab while the rest of us did fossil experiments.  Yup, we did school.  The boys were *shocked* that we didn’t take the day off.  Nice try, guys!

Then when John got home we went to Longhorne Steakhouse for dinner.  We rarely ever eat out.  That is one area that I will concede “larger” families have to make sacrifices on.  My kids LOVE to go to restaurants.  Love it.  I love taking them.   I love how much they love it.  They were bouncing off the walls for an hour before we went.

Home for some mint chocolate torte.  We didn’t sing Happy Birthday at first.  I forgot.  They sang sans candles.  We’ll do that tomorrow.  It was yummy.

On a side note, Johanna was a bit of work tonight.  She turned 18 months on Tuesday and she is right on her developmental milestones of causing a ruckus at a restaurant.  John and I realized how out of practice we are for toddlers.  It didn’t help that she did NOT want to eat.  She wanted to lick the salt and pepper shakers… and since she has learned the word, “Cheese,”  which she means for, “Please,” she thinks that one little word will get her whatever she is pointing at.  John got her to pretend the salt shaker was a telephone.  And I impressed her by standing a crayon up on one end.  Those tricks bought us at least 4½ minutes.

I love my family so much.  I am so stinking blessed.  Look at this group.  They rock immensely.  They LOVED dinner.  LOVED it.  I loved their smiles.  And it was worth all $119.  [*sigh*]  Stewart asked, “What do you think this will cost, Mom?” about half way through the meal.  I gave him my guesstimate, which was a bit higher and he was incredulous.  “For ONE meal?”  He was blown away.  He also saved some of his steak.  He wants it for breakfast.  With eggs.  He heard someone on Little House on the Prairie order it.  I ♥ him!

OH!  The kids each put together $3 and gave me a card with $12 in it.  My mom orchestrated it.   I need to think of something I can buy with that money and then use it so they see their present in use.  I’m taking suggestions!

As I ran back for my camera today before heading to a homeschool roller skating party I imagined that I would have lots of photos this evening of my kids enjoying their pizza lunch with friends and hitting the rink for a grand old time.  As someone who blogs in her head all the time I had begun to imagine sweet words to describe a mid-week outing that got us out of the house for some exercise and friendship building.

While it was those things, it was far more than that. 

It was a chance to see just how AWESOME my daughter was.  JUST. SO. AWESOME!!!  How so?  Let’s see.  She skated for probably 80 minutes.  So, I am guessing she felt almost 250 times.  I am not making that up.  Okay – that sounds high.  Let’s say she fell 175 times.  [I think 250 times is more like it, though.]  And.  She got up EVERY TIME with a smile on her face AND SKATED SOME MORE.

Let me tell you.  There were more than a few kids who fell.  None seemed to fall as many times as Marie.  Many got tired and quit.  I probably would have called it quits.  My daughter NEVER GAVE UP.  Over and over she fell and over and over she got up.  I am so proud to call her my daughter.  [Okay – I have always been proud to call her my daughter, but this was so awesome.]

When the kids first got their skates on, Tab asked for her helmet.  As I told my friend Jenn that I was heading to the car she told me I’d better get two.  She’d seen Marie on the skating floor and seen her go down a few times already.  This proved to a wise move.  *sigh*  A very wise move.

If this video ever loads – you will see it.  Somewhere between Jim Carrey  and Lucile Ball.   The crazy thing is she is SO ATHLETIC.

Inspired by our trip to the George Eastman house last week for the gingerbread house display we set out to make our own creations with our friends the Maxfields.  Mrs. Maxfield worked hard to create 7 individual salt dough houses that promptly warped.  She then made 7 individual houses out of cardboard.  She has a lot of time on her hands, I guess. 

With a tableful of candy and seven tubes of frosting we set out to destroy the family room decorate houses fit for royalty.  Then the boys decided their houses were just fine and set out to play football.  The girls were serious about using up their tubes of frosting and as many pieces of candy as possible.  It really was a lot of fun.  And it cleaned up rather quickly.   {I know some of you will have chest pains just looking at the mess!}

And Tabitha walked by her house over and over again in the evening… swiping tastes of her house, despite the fact that some of the candy was years old!  ♥

I worked day shift on Thanksgiving.  It started out W*I*L*D but THANKfully God heard my prayer and it got much better.  I enjoyed my time with my co-workers, actually.  One of the women that was there is due to have twins in two weeks.  It was exciting to see her as we both work per diem and rarely cross paths.

I came home to a full house.  Not only our resident disciples, but my mom, & my sister were here, as well as my Aunt Betty, and my cousin David from Ontario, Canada.  They came to help us celebrate our THANKfulness.  The kids were beside themselves for days waiting for their arrival.  They were full of THANKS to see them for the first time since July.

The kids are always THANKful when Uncle Dave gets out of his wheelchair and lets them wheel it around.  They were also THANKful to receive Christmas gifts.

David went back to my mom’s house for the night.  Aunt Betty slept over.  She bunked with the girls.  They were very THANKful for the sleepover.  She watched Miracle on 34th Street with us last night.

The fun started again this morning.  None of us are serious Black Friday shoppers.  But we did go out to Walmart and Kmart today.  Only a few of the kids were interested.  We got to visit and play together all day.  They were far more happy to have a second THANKSgiving dinner with our guests [minus my sister this time] and to play games and entertain our guests after dinner.]

We headed for a first time trip to the George Eastman house to see the Gingerbread house displays.
We went with some of our buddies and met some of their friends there, as well.
The kids divided into two teams – boys vs. girls – and embarked on the scavenger hunt.
Competitiveness was high; careful reading of clues was low.    Fun was had by all.

People sign up to make the houses which are then auctioned off to gain donations for the museum. 
It was pretty cool.  The house/museum itself was rather impressive. 

George Eastman’s life was quite sad, though.   When we went through his massive library early in the trip I asked the kids if they could see a Bible anywhere.  We couldn’t find one.  Later when we learned he killed himself in order to die according to his own control we were dismayed.  How sad to have so much intelligence and creativity, but not to have hope.

In these disciples’ home!

When they were little, I would assemble the tree while they napped. 
Then they were a little older and they would sit on the couch and have to sit and watch me.
Now they help me carry the stuff upstairs and have the tree put together before I can say, “Evergreen.”

It takes more than a few totes of decorations.
Look.At.The.Mess!

We used to decorate two trees.  I had enough ornaments for three.  We got rid of about a third this summer, but we still have way more than you count.   We only put up one tree this year and last year due to space issues.  And only after the ornaments were on did I realize I forgot the bell-garland I love so much.  And the gold ribbon.  But, whatever.  There is always next year.

I love some of my ornaments.  Like some.  Tolerate some. 

My favorite ornaments are stars.  They have always been my favorite shape.  I think it comes from when I was a kid and played the star of Bethlehem in a church play!  Once upon a time the overwhelming majority of my ornaments were stars.  You can still find them, but they are quickly being outnumbered.

My second favorite ornaments are the ones the kids have made.  There are tons of these.

My next favorite ornaments are the 3 dozen or so snowflakes my cousin crocheted me and the cheap-o snowflakes I bought at the dollar store.  If we could stop right there I’d be 100% glad.

But then come the Christ-centered ornaments.  I do like them a lot.  I just have a LOT.  And we make sure every last one of them are on the tree.  Did you catch that?  WE make sure.  There must be 40.

Then there are the VeggieTales ornaments and the rare cartoony ones that I have selected for their personal connections to my world.  I have always loved the Aristocats movie.  And since my daughter’s name is Marie we have a few special ones there.  Or ones we have purchased on vacations.  We have about 10 Veggie ornaments. 

Then there are the sillier ornaments.  I don’t dislike them.  I just don’t love them.  Most of them are my fault.  Each year I have picked up one per child after Christmas and would link it to something that reminded me of them that past year.  They are often silly.  The Grinch for the boys from the year we first introduced that movie.  Silly kitty ornaments for Marie.  A reindeer playing dress-up for Tabitha because she lives in dress-up clothes.  There has to be 40 of these.  At least. 

Then we have beads.  Lots and lots of beads.  [I do like those a lot, but I can hardly give them credit as ornaments.]

We didn’t stop there.  John did the outside lights while we did the indoor lights.  I think he had the more peaceful end of it, albeit the colder one.

And Stew set up the nativity.

Another day I will share some photos of the baby’s reaction and how much Tabitha enjoyed playing with her “buddies” from the last few years.